Snow ski having angular torsion member

ABSTRACT

A torsion plate embedded in the midportion of a snow ski intermediate the front and rear ends of the ski, the plate having one end portion disposed adjacent the top of the ski. The torsion plate slopes angularly downwardly from said one end portion thereof toward one end of the ski and terminates at its opposite end in upwardly spaced relation to the bottom of the ski.

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1964 l-lolmberg et a1. 3,194,572 7/1965 Fischer.........................

Robert R. Seawell 72] Inventor Minneapolis, Minn. [21] Appl. No. 860,924

22 Filed Sept.25,1969

Oct. 12, 1971 [45] Patented FOREIGN PATENTS [73] Assignee Larson Industries, Inc.

Minneapolis, Minn.

214,326 3/1961 Austria......................... 1,345,704 11/1963 France Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant ExaminerPaul E. Sauberer AttorneyMerchant & Gould p of the i. The torsion plate slopes angularly downwardly from said PATENTEnucT 12 Ian FiE3 J 4 Homer l2. Sznwzu v SNOW SKI HAVING ANGULAR TORSION MEMBER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The problem of producing snow skis of lightweight and requisite strength has been partly overcome by using laminated construction of lightweight material, such as combinations of wood, plastics, aluminum and similar materials. To insure proper rigidity and strength at the portion of the ski at which the ski bindings are attached, for stability and to provide a secure anchorage for the ski bindings, skis have been heretofore made having such excessive thickness and weight at the midportion thereof as to detract from the stability of the skis and to render the same more difficult to control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The snow ski of this invention includes a midportion generally centrally between the upturned front end and the rear end of the ski, the mid portion having a flat top surface for reception of ski binding apparatus. A substantially rigid platelike member is embedded in the mid portion of the ski and has one end portion disposed adjacent the top surface of the ski, the platelike member sloping angularly downwardly and rearwardly from said one end portion thereof and terminating at its opposite end in upwardly spaced relation to the bottom surface of the ski. The platelike member is substantially coextensive in width with the midportion of the ski and effectively reinforces the same against bending and torsional movements, while enabling the ski to be made with less vertical thickness than heretofore at the mid portion thereof. Additionally, the platelike member provides means for receiving anchoring screws for ski bindings, the lower rear end portion of the platelike member receiving anchoring screws for the rear binding, which normally receives greater pulling and twisting strains than the front binding. The rear ski binding anchoring screws penetrate deeper into the ski than do the from binding anchoring screws whereby to more firmly secure the rear binding against loosening from the ski.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a ski having the torsion member of this invention embedded therein;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view in cross section of the ski of FIG. 1, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, some parts being removed and portions of the elements of the ski broken away in step arrangement;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of the midportion of the ski of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of a core portion of the ski and the torsion member mounted therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The ski of the present invention comprises similarly elongated top and bottom structures or, section, indicated generally at l and 2 respectively, the ski having a conventionally upturned front end portion 3 and a generally flat rear end portion 4. In FIGS. 1 and 3, the ski is shown as being provided with conventional front and rear binding devices 5 and 6 respectively, secured to the top structure 1 by screws or the like 7. The binding devices 5 and 6 do not, in and of themselves, comprise the instant invention and further detailed showing and description thereof is omitted, in the interest of brevity.

The top structure or section 1 comprises a pair of vertically spaced generally parallel elongated upper and lower plates 8 and 9 respectively, a core 10, a top cover 11 overlying the upper plate 8, and generally vertical side cover plates 12 at opposite sides of the core 9. The core may be made from any desired material, such as wood or glass fiber impregnated resin, and as shown, comprises a pair of laterally spaced elongated core members 13 of laminated wood construction, having their top surfaces covered with strips 14 of glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic material. A center strip or bar 15 is disposed between the core members 13 and is preferably of balsa wood or other lightweight material. The upper and lower plates 8 and 9 respectively are preferably of aluminum for strength and lightweight, the upper plate 8 providing means for receiving the anchoring screws 7 for the ski binding devices 5 and 6. Preferably, the side cover elements 12, as well as the top cover 11, are formed or molded from suitable plastic material, such as phenolic resin. If desired, the top cover 11 may be in the nature of one or more coats of paint for decorative purposes, as well as serving as protection for the aluminum upper plate 8. The plates 8 and 9, core 10, top cover 1 l and side cover elements 12 are all bonded together, preferably by thermopressing, using thermoplastic adhesives or other suitable bonding means to provide an integrally formed unit.

The bottom structure 2 comprises a pair of laterally spaced parallel edge members 16 that are cross-sectionally L-shaped to provide relatively narrow ground-engaging runner portions 17. The bottom structure further includes a filler strip 18, and aluminum plate 19 underlying the filler strip 18 and portions of the edge members 17, and a ground-engaging bottom strip 20 of nonmetallic material, such as high density polyethylene, commonly known in the art as P-TEX. The filler strip 18 is preferably of hard wood, the various members 16-20 being securely bonded together by suitable adhesives, the top surface of the filler strip 18 being substantially coplanar of the top surfaces of the edge members 16, the bottom surface of the bottom strip 20 being substantially coplanar with the bottom surfaces of the runner portions 17. A strip 21 of elastic material, such as rubber, neoprene or other suitable elastomer is interposed between the top surface of the bottom structure 2 and the bottom surface of the top structure 1, and is securely bonded to both structures.

During fabrication of the top structure I, the core 10 and guide cover plate 12 are formed with a transverse slot 22 that slopes angularly downwardly and rearwardly from the top surface of the core 10, the lower rear end of the slot 22 terminating slightly above the bottom surface of the core 10, as indicated at 23 in FIGS. 3 and 4. An elongated platelike member 24, preferable made of metal, such as aluminum is snugly received in the slot 22, the platelike member 24 being substantially coextensive with the top structure or section 1. The front end portion of the member 24 is beveled to provide a top surface portion 25 that is coplanar with the top surface of the core 10 and which is disposed in face-to-face engagement with the overlying upper aluminum plate 10, the member 24 sloping angularly rearwardly and downwardly in the slot 22 to the lower rear end 23 thereof. The member 25 is rigidly secured within the slot 22, and to the overlying portion of the upper plate 8 by thermopressing with suitable adhesives, during assembly of the top structure 1. It will be noted that the slot 22 extends through the balsa wood core element 15, as well as the core members 13 and side cover plates 12.

The angularly rearwardly and downwardly sloping disposition of the platelike member 2A effectively stilfens the midportion of the ski not only against longitudinal bending, but also against twisting of the ski, not only enabling the midportion of the ski to be made with substantially less vertical thickness than heretofore but also maintaining a high degree of stability in the construction thereof. With reference to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the anchoring screws 7 associated with the ski binding device 5 are screw threadedly received in both the upper aluminum plate 8, as well as the beveled portion 25 of the platelike member 24 the screws 7 associated with the rear ski binding device 6 also being screw threadedly received in both the upper aluminum 8 and the platelike member 24. These latter screws 7 extend downwardly through the ski a substantially greater distance than do those associated with the ski binding device 5, to be anchored in the platelike member 24, so as to obtain greater purchase in the core 10 than the screws 7 associated with the front binding device 5. Thus, the binding device 6, which is normally subject to greater pulling strains than is the binding device 5, is more securely anchored to the ski.

What is claimed is:

1. In a snow ski having an upturned front end, a rear end, a midportion having a generally flat top surface intermediate said front and rear ends for mounting ski bindings thereon and a ground engaging bottom surface; a rectangular substantially rigid platelike member having smooth unbroken top and bottom surfaces and continuously straight and unbroken opposite side and end edges, said rigid platelike member being elongated in a direction generally longitudinally of the ski and embedded in said ski at said midportion, said platelike member having one end portion disposed adjacent said generally flat top surface of the ski, said member sloping downwardly from said one end portion thereof toward one of said ends of the ski and terminating at its opposite end in upwardly spaced relation to said bottom surface of the ski, said platelike member being substantially coextensive in width with said midportions of the ski.

2. The snow ski defined in claim 1 in which said platelike member slopes angularly downwardly toward said rear end of the ski.

3. The snow ski defined in claim 1 in which said ski comprises top and bottom structures each extending for substantially the full length of the ski, said top and bottom structures having lower and upper surfaces respectively bonded together in face-to-face engagement, said platelike member being disposed entirely in said top ski structure.

4. The snow ski defined in claim 1 in which said ski comprises top and bottom structures each extending for substan tially the full length of the ski and bonded together, said top structure including a longitudinally extending metallic upper strip and a longitudinally extending nonmetallic core underlying said strip and having a top surface bonded to said upper metallic strip, said platelike member being embedded in said core.

5. The snow ski defined in claim 4 in which said one end portion of the platelike member has a flat top surface portion coplanar with said top surface of the core, said top surface portion being bonded to said upper metallic strip.

6. The snow ski defined in claim 5 in which said platelike member is substantially coextensive in width with said top structure and slopes angularly downwardly toward the rear end of said ski. 

1. In a snow ski having an upturned front end, a rear end, a midportion having a generally flat top surface intermediate said front and rear ends for mounting ski bindings thereon and a ground engaging bottom surface; a rectangular substantially rigid platelike member having smooth unbroken top and bottom surfaces and continuously straight and unbroken opposite side and end edges, said rigid platelike member being elongated in a direction generally longitudinally of the ski and embedded in said ski at said midportion, said platelike member having one end portion disposed adjacent said generally flat top surface of the ski, said member sloping downwardly from said one end portion thereof toward one of said ends of the ski and terminating at its opposite end in upwardly spaced relation to said bottom surface of the ski, said platelike member being substantially coextensive in width with said midportions of the ski.
 2. The snow ski defined in claim 1 in which said platelike member slopes angularly downwardly toward said rear end of the ski.
 3. The snow ski defined in claim 1 in which said ski comprises top and bottom structures each extending for substantially the full length of the ski, said top and bottom structures having lower and upper surfaces respectively bonded together in face-to-face engagement, said platelike member being disposed entirely in said top ski structure.
 4. The snow ski defined in claim 1 in which said ski comprises top and bottom structures each extending for substantially the full length of the ski and bonded together, said top structure including a longitudinally extending metallic upper strip and a longitudinally extending nonmetallic core underlying said strip and having a top surface bonded to said upper metallic strip, said platelike member being embedded in said core.
 5. The snow ski defined in claim 4 in which said one end portion of the platelike member has a flat top surface portion coplanar with said top surface of the core, said top surface portion being bonded to said upper metallic strip.
 6. The snow ski defined in claim 5 in which said platelike member is substantially coextensive in width with said top structure and slopes angularly downwardly toward the rear end of said ski. 